This is the gripping true account of the worst disaster in the history of Mt. Everest. On May 10, 1996, two commercial expeditions headed by experienced leaders attempted to climb the highest mountain in the world—but things went terribly wrong. Crowded conditions on the mountain, miscommunications, unexplainable delays, poor leadership, bad decisions, and a blinding storm conspired to kill. Twenty-three men and women, disoriented and out of oxygen, struggled to find their way down the side of the mountain. In the dark, battered by snow and driven by hurricane-force winds, some of the climbers became hopelessly lost and resigned themselves to death. But head climbing guide Anatoli Boukreev refused to give up hope. Climbing blind in the maw of a life-threatening storm, Boukreev brought climbers back from the edge of certain death.

This is an amazing true story of an expedition fated for disaster, of the blind ambition that drives people to attempt such dangerous ventures, and of a modern-day hero, who risked his own life to save others.

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Quotes & Awards

“Powerful...a breath of risk, sometimes bitter clarity...Boukreev did the one thing that denies the void. He took action. He chose danger, and he saved lives.”

New York Times Book Review

“One of the most amazing rescues in mountaineering history, performed single-handedly a few hours after climbing Everest without oxygen by a man some describe as the Tiger Woods of Himalayan climbing.”

“Fast-paced and easy to read, Boukreev’s story of adventure and survival will remain in the reader’s memory long after the book is finished.”

Library Journal

A 1998 New York Times Notable Book for Nonfiction

Listener Opinions

by Sally | 6/12/2011

" After reading Into Thin Air this is a much more factual read of the events that took place on Everest in 1996. I think everyone who reads Into Thin Air should read this.
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by Erin | 4/11/2011

" This tells about the same expedition as Into Thin Air, but from another (very different!) perspective. I really enjoyed it and love to read about Everest!
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by Emily | 3/21/2011

" I have just started this book. I am loving the book. I am on page 114 of 257. I finelly finished this book. I enjoyed it alot but one has to understand a little about Mt. Everest to understand this book as it is coming from a single climber and the struggles he went through.
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by Matthew | 3/5/2011

" Written shortly after Into Thin Air...it didn't nearly elicit the same feelings. Boukreev wanted to clear up some items that were missed in the other book...the story may be truer, but the writing lacks.
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" If you read "Into Thin Air", by Jon Krakauer, you need to read this book.
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Sugin | 2/22/2011

" Breathtaking account of brave/crazy people climbing on the edge of human ability
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Mark | 2/3/2011

" I read this after reading Krakauer's "Into thin Air" and coming away feeling as if it were only one side of the story. Boukreev may have been the most talented climber on the mountain in 1996 and offers his own take on the tragedy.
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Marlene | 2/2/2011

" If you read Into thin Air by Jon Kraukar (sp) Then you have to read this on too - to hear both sides of the story.
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Greg | 1/12/2011

" Another good read about the 92 Everest season. One person's perspective and different than Krakauer's.
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Peregrine 12 | 12/6/2010

" No one should read Krakauer's book without reading this one. Boukreev's humility makes him a hero, in my view, especially considering what he did to try and save the others. What saddened me was to learn that he died a year later, in the mountains, in an avalanche. What a great loss.
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Kristy | 11/22/2010

" I listed this higher because I read "Into Thin Air" first. This probably wouldn't have been such a good read without reading that one first.
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Other Titles by Anatoli Boukreev:

About the Author

Anatoli Boukreev (1958–1997) was one of the world’s foremost high-altitude mountaineers. Twenty-one times he went to the summit of the world’s highest mountains. For his heroic actions on Mount Everest in May 1996, he was awarded the American Alpine Club’s highest honor, the David A. Sowles Memorial Award. He died in an avalanche while climbing in Nepal on December 25, 1997.

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